“Whenever we see a presence of mercenaries in an armed conflict, we see that armed conflict is more intense in combat, and it's very likely going to last longer.” - Jelena Aparac

It’s no secret that both governments and opposition groups are paying soldiers or former soldiers to fight in a foreign countries. These groups, known as mercenaries, are nothing new but they are becoming increasingly influential in ongoing conflicts. And the impact is far reaching.

In this episode we discuss how mercenary groups managed to infiltrate and cement themselves in politically and economically unstable countries in the Sahel region. What recruitment is like in these groups, why people in the area join them, and what impact the militarisation of society has on society and gender roles.

Our guests are:

• Jelena Aparac, former Chair of the UN Working Group on mercenaries
• Emadeddin Badi, an independent consultant on governance, post-conflict stabilisation, hybrid security structures and peacebuilding, and a fellow at the Atlantic Council
• Philip Obaji, an award-winning investigative journalist from Nigeria, documenting human rights abuses and exploitation by Russian paramilitaries deployed in West and Central Africa

Your hosts are:

• Dean Peacock, Project Director of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom's initiative on men and militarism
• Reem Abbas, Communications Coordinator for the Mobilising Men for Feminist Peace Programme

Mobilising Men for Feminist Peace is a podcast from WILPF, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, in which we uncover the transformative power of feminist peace and explore how men can be active proponents of achieving gender equality and peace.

For more resources and information, visit wilpf.org and the Mobilising Men for Feminist Peace project page here.